Ants...

[BellaBoo0512]

These little buggers are driving me crazy! We moved in our house last January and around this time last year we started to get ants in our living room, we found they were getting in from a hole under the window. OH filled the hole in and they started coming in from somewhere else. Again we found where they were getting in and blocked the hole.

Now the weather is getting a bit milder they are back with avengance and I don't know what to do. I keep finding them everywhere. I have put ant traps in each room and have put tonnes of ant powder all around the outside of the house but i still keep finding them.

I hover 3 times a day (LO is a messy eater) and never leave food lying around so I don't have a clue what is attracting them.

Anyone any tips for getting rid of them?

 

[missk1989]

Unless you can find the nest then all you can do is use the traps. Anything else and you risk your lo getting ill. I know ants are a pain, we used to have them in our old house and it was awful.

 

[BellaBoo0512]

The traps don't seem to be working they are a pain in the ass! Is there nothing else I can be doing that is child and pet friendly?

 

[curiousowl]

Can you find Grant's ant stakes or traps specifically? Where I'm from in California almost everyone gets them terribly. I found that when other brands of traps didn't work, those did. I also had some success sprinkling dried cayenne pepper around where they were coming in. It's a natural deterrent though I found it didn't last long.

 

[lau86]

We use a spray that once it dries is non toxic. I only ever see the odd one or two and I thought it was standard as every house I've lived in has been like that.

 

[blueskai]

It sounds crazy, but we had ants and sprinkled down black pepper, and it got rid - they hate it!

Child & pet friendly too

xo

 

[wishuwerehere]

Find the nest and chuck boiling water down...worked in our last house but we have them here too and haven't found the nest yet! They've been a problem every summer dd1 can remember, so much so that recently she saw an ant in our house and shouted 'fuck, ants!' Obviously she remembered me and dh getting annoyed

 

[MissRhead]

Oh I hate ants I really feel for you, I did manage to buy some non toxic ant powder which got rid of our ants last year under the stairs. I saw loads around my front door the other day starting to come inside so I put it around the door and haven't had any since. I think it might have been from b&q x

 

[smileyfaces]

We bought those little round ant killer things...it takes a few days to kill them but omg they worked so well. We had hundreds of thelittle buggers crawling round and nothing worked till we got these from asda. One ant goes in and takes some of the poisonous stuff back to the nest thinking its food and kills them all at source. Worked wonders for us.

 

[Bex84]

If you have floor you can wash (we have lamanite) clean with lemon scented cleaner if not they constantly follow trail scent left by ants already come in. I hate them. I have no idea where the nest is in our garden. Last year i put bleach down outside where they came in

 

[kerrie24]

I get them too,I use loads of ant powder inside and out and they normally learn not to come in.

 

[BellaBoo0512]

Thank you for all your suggestions the ant traps I've got are called 'bait box' and the idea is that the ants take the stuff inside and then take it back to the nest and it's supposed to kill them all but it doesn't appear to be working. I will give the black pepper a try. I've not a clue where the nest is.. I've looked everywhere and can't find it

 

[Lauraxamy]

I had them last year. I put ant powder down one morning on all the doorways etc, anywhere they could get in basically then hoovered it up that night. Did it a couple of extra times too just to make sure they were gone and it seemed to work.

 

[BellaBoo0512]

I've put ant powder all around the outside of the house but can't on the inside because of my LO and cat.

 

[Equreuil]

The oddest things can, things you wouldn't think of.

We started getting them in our tub. Ended up being my body scrub doing it. Also, a plunger for infant tylenol ended up filled with them after I didn't rinse it well enough.

There's this stuff called tarro. It's natural, but poisonous to ants. The ants will take it back to the nest as food and it'll kill the whole colony.

 

[Banshee]

They're also not supposed to like vinegar. Smells a bit but seems to help. We have a problem with ants as well. We do try and find the nests and pour boiling water on them.

 

[embojet]

Ants wont cross a chalk line, every summer my neighbours must think I'm crazy drawing round my house in chalk! (I know it sounds crazy but it works, at least to a point!)